CYCLING was facing the threat of being kicked out of the Olympic Games last night in the wake of the Lance Armstrong drugs scandal.

IOC member Dick Pound made the startling claim by saying it could happen if Armstrong implicates the International Cycling Union (UCI), the sport’s governing body, of covering up a widespread doping scheme.

Pound, the former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, revealed the IOC might be left with no choice if Armstrong proves the UCI acted improperly. “The only way it is going to clean up is if all these people say ‘hey, we’re no longer in the Olympics and that’s where we want to be so let’s earn our way back into it’,” he said.

the UCI is not known for its strong actions to anti-doping. It was the same in weightlifting

IOC member Dick Pound

Talking after TV show host Oprah Winfrey confirmed that Armstrong admitted to using drugs in an interview that will be broadcast on Thursday and Friday, Pound added: “The IOC would have to deal with it, the UCI is not known for its strong actions to anti-doping. It was the same in weightlifting.”

Britain won a total of 16 golds in cycling at the London Olympics and Paralympics .